Shanghai Cooperation Organisation NSAs meet in Delhi on March 29 | What to expect

India, as the current chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), is hosting a meeting with national security advisors (NSA) and top officials in Delhi on Wednesday, March 29. The NSA meeting is one of several events India is hosting as it chairs the SCO this year. Before the meeting, several reports said Pakistan and China, which whom India has tense border relations, might skip the meeting. However, their representatives have said they are participating but still deciding upon the mode — virtual or in-person.

Russian NSA Nikolai Patrushev is likely to come to India late on March 28 for the meeting. Doval is likely to use the SCO meeting to reiterate India's position on Afghanistan and stress the need for an inclusive and representative dispensation in the country.

The SCO consists of eight member countries — China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan — with several others engaging as observers or dialogue partners. This year, Iran will join the SCO as the ninth member country under the presidency of India. Uzbekistan handed over the rotating presidency to India in September 2022.